Hargeisa , Somaliland -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In 1856 , British explorer Richard Burton described Somalia as a nation of poets . It may seem an unlikely moniker for a country that has since become defined by piracy , state collapse , and the many horrors unleashed by Al-Shabaab -- the Islamic extremists who control much of the country .

But , much has changed since then . Despite appearances , the country used to be one of East Africa 's most dynamic artistic enclaves , and much of the region 's cultural activity took place in Hargeisa , the capital of Somaliland , the internationally unrecognized state that broke away from Somalia in 1991 .

`` Hargeisa used to be the cultural hub for the Somali republic . There was a beautiful Chinese-built theater ; also the main public library , at one time the biggest in Somalia , '' recalls Jama Muse Jama , who six years ago founded the Hargeisa Book Fair .

The theater and library , like much of Hargeisa , was flattened during the civil war that preceded Somalia 's collapse and Somaliland 's declaration of independence . Now , Jama is hoping to restore some of what his country lost .

`` If at the end of the fair , we have one more reader , we have succeeded , '' he says .

The fair , which takes place during a week in August -LRB- this year 's ended August 13 -RRB- , has become one of the most anticipated literary events in East Africa . Part book expo , part cultural festival -LRB- poets , musicians and dancers are as popular as the author panels -RRB- , the fair attracts a variety of local literary legends like Hadraawi , widely considered the most famous living Somali poet .

Outside , the hundreds in attendance throng around stalls selling new books published by the likes of the Redsea Online Publishing/Ponte Invisible -- a publishing company run by Jama -- and second-hand tomes , all to meet demand in this literature-hungry city .

The city 's dedication to the written word is particularly poignant , given that the Somali language did n't even have its own written alphabet until 1972 . That year , Somali President Mohammed Siad Barre introduced a standard written version of the Somali language using Latin script .

The Barre regime 's move -- driven by a 5 % literacy rate -LRB- according to the United Nations -RRB- -- represented a new approach beyond the oral poetic tradition .

`` Government workers were given three months to learn . Anyone who failed was fired , '' recalls Said Salah Ahmed , an author , playwright and teacher of Somali at the University of Minnesota , who was a school principal at the time .

As the campaign stretched from the cities to the towns to the smallest villages , he says teaching took place `` wherever -- under trees , under walls , wherever there was shade . ''

Jama also considers that period fondly .

`` It was one of the best things that happened in Somali society , '' he says .

While the first books to be published in the new language were mostly textbooks , there was also a smattering of European classics , with `` Animal Farm , '' `` Gulliver 's Travels , '' and even Dale Carnegie 's `` How To Win Friends And Influence People '' appearing on book shelves , according to Liban Ahmad , a Somali writer and teacher based in London .

The period also brought on new forms of Somali literature , alongside poetry .

`` Modern trends started to emerge , including original fiction works , '' recalls Mohamoud Shiekh Dalmar , who was working with the Somali Broadcasting Service .

According to the UN , the Somali literacy rates climbed to 55 % by the mid-1970s . Such progress was n't sustainable though , as civil war and drought ultimately split the country . By 1990 , literacy rates fell to 24 % . Jama recalls books being burned at his school library . The official excuse given , he says , was that they fostered colonial sentiment , but he reasons that it was because they underlined Somaliland 's separateness .

`` It had been a flowering . But everything was killed , '' he says .

Still , in the Somali diaspora aboad , a handful of authors , like Saleh and Dalmar , did their best to uphold the literary traditions . Now , with the help of writing and photography workshops held at the book fair , a new generation of young Somali writers will hopefully pick up the tradition .

Saleh points out that new books are again being translated into Somali .

Jama himself remains dedicated to his path : using the occasion of the 2014 fair to launch a new , permanent , European Union-funded cultural centre in Hargeisa . Somaliland 's capital may yet reclaim its cultural-hub status . All it takes is a little imagination , which Jama has in spades .

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Somaliland hosts one of the most anticipated book fair in East Africa

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The literary tradition is new . Somililand did n't have a standard alphabet until 1972

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Now , Somali authors are hoping to nurture a new generation of authors